Identification device and method of producing same



Jan. 10, 1928.

w. H. WHEELER IDENTIFIOATJ ION DEVICE AND-METHOD 0F PRODUCING SAME-Origingl Filed NOV. 26, 1923 INVENTOR wi'lLiam Jilwhee'ber AITORNEYPatented Jan. 10, 1 928.

nui'rao s'r'ras PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. WHEELER, NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNQR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, '10

FEDCO NUMBER ILATE CORPORATION, on NEW Yonx, n. Y., aconronarxon orDELAWARE.

IDENTIFICATION DEVICE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME.-

Application filed November 26,- 1923, Serial No. 677,017. Renewed June3, 1927.

I This invention relates to improvements in identification devices ofthe general character disclosed in my copending applications,"

Serial No. 662,230 and 662,231, filed Septem her 12, 1923, and to anovel method of manufacturing such devices.

. It is an object of the present inventiouto provide an identificationdevlce, primar ly intended for use upon motor vehicles which 19 cannotbe successfully imitated for an illegal purpose without great expense. v

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel method ofmanufacturing such devices which will render possible their productionin large quantities at a relatively small expense, and yet a processwhich will render unauthorized duplication upona small scaleprohibitively costly, prlnclpally because of the apparatus necessary forperforming the process.

It is a further object of the present lnvention to form anidentification plate of the character stated from a single metal plateso treated that identi ing characters, a background and a design on thebackground will present sharply contrasting colors.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and combinations and ar-' lit)i-augementsof parts as will be more fully hereinafter described andpointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is aperspective view of the metal blank from which my improvedidentification plate is'formed.

Fig. 2 shows the blank embossed with a desi Fig. 3 shows the embossedblank after the l first oxidizing process has been performed.

Fig. 4 shows the embossed portion of the oxidizedblank ground or out toexpose the design in bright metal,

Fig. 5 shows the blank after the second -1 oxidizing operation has beenperformed and embossed identi the embossed design. h Fig. 6 is similarto Fig. 5, but showing the embossed identifying indicia ground or cut toexpose the natural bright metal of the plate, and

Fig. 7 shows the plate in its final form. Referring with particularityto the draw.-

ing idicia substituted for ings, it will be seen that I have used thereference character 10 to designate the blank from which my improvedidentification plate is formed. This blank may be of any convenient sizeand shape and is sufficiently thin to permit an embossing operation tobe performed thereon. The plate is of some metal which will give atleast two contrastin surface colors when oxidized at two di erenttemperatures, first step of the process consists in bright annealing theblank. In Figure 2, the first embossing operation has been performed. Inthis instance, I have shown a design consisting of a rectangular border11, a central circular frame 12 for a name 13, and a distinguishingsymbol 14, the name and the symbol being characteristic of theparticular make of automobile for which the plate is intended. Betweenthe frame and the boror otherwise treated. The

(ler, there is shown a leaf design 15. The

of the plate after it has been subjected to an oxidizing process atarelatively high temperature. If we assume for the sake ofconvenience'that the plate is of nickel its entire surface will havetaken on a .blue color, this color being indicated by the dark stippleof Fig. 3. Having oxidized the entire surface of the plate, the embosseddesign is ground or cut to expose the bright metal below the oxidizedsurface as seen in Fig. 4. The plate is then subjected to a secondoxidizing process, this time at a lower temperature. The'second oxidizinof the plate will ofcourse not affect the lue background indicated at16, but willturn the bright design to a li ht brown color, as

indicated by the light stipple of Fig. 5. 4

Identifying indicia 17 are now embossed upon the plate, the sameoperation which efi'ects the embossing of the indica, serving toeradicate the previous embossing. The plate after this much of theprocess has been performed is shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 6

ground, light embossed design, and

shows the plate subsequent to the next operation, which consists ingrinding or cutting the embossed identifying indicia to expose thebright metalv of the plate.

The nex operation consists in re-emboss- -in'g the plate preferably withthe original design, although any suitable modification or variationthereof inight be used. In fact, an entirely different design mightbossed upon the plate, but for the purpose of clearness of illustration,I have shown the original design re eirrbossed. The finished plate,therefore, consists ofa dark backbright identifying indicia which areembossed or not, depending upon whether they appear upon the backgroundor the design. The finished plate may be spot welded or otherwisesuitably attached to the engine block or chassis frame of a motorvehicle. The manner of attachment or the part of the machine to whichthe plate is attached is immaterial to the present invention.

I have shown a dark background, light design, and lighter identifyingcharacters, but either design, background or characters might beoxidized either a light or a dark color or left bright, as the casemaybe, and whether the background, the design or the characters beembossed is immaterial to the invention. The process is considerablysimpler than the processes shown in my previous applications,whereinlaminated plates are treated and at the same time,'the finishedproduct is equally hard for an unauthorized person to duplicate.

Various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general formand arrangement of the parts described without departing from theinvention. and hence I do not wish to'limit myself to the precisedetails 'set forth, but shall consider myself at liberty to make suchchanges and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim: 7

l. A method of making metal identification plates which includes thesteps of (l) subjecting a plate to chemical treatment to change thesurface color of the plate, (2) removing a part of such colored surfaceto expose the natural color of the metal, (3)

subjecting ,the plate to a second chemical treatment to produce adifierent color on that portion of the plate from Which the previouslycolored surface has been re moved, without affecting the color of theremainder of the plate surface.

2. A method of making metal identification plates which includes thesteps of (1) subjecting the plates to heat treatment at a I relativelyhigh temperature to change the surface color of the plate, (2) removinga portion of such colored surface to ex ose heuetural color of themetal, (3) subject- .a lower temperature to produce a different color onthat portion of the plate from which the previously colored surface hasbeen removed. 3. A method of making metal identifi-' cation plates whichincludes the steps of (1)- oxidizing a metal plate at .a relativelyhigh. tem erature, (2) removing a portion of the exit ized surface, (3)oxidizing the plate at a lower temperature whereby different portions'of the surface of the plate will be differently. colored.

4. A method of making metal identification plates which includes thesteps of (1) subjecting a plate to chemical treatmentto change thesurface color of the plate, (2) removing a part of such colored surfaceto expose the natural color of the metal, (3) subjecting the plate .to asecond chemical treatment to produce a different color on that portionof the plate from which the previously colored surface has been removedwithout affecting the color of the remainder subjecting the plates toheat treatment at a relatively high temperature to change the surfacecolor of the plate, (2) removing a portion of such colored surfacetoexpose the natural color of the metal, (3) subjecting the plate to asecond heat treatment at a lower temperature to produce a difierentcolor on that portion of the plate from which the previously coloredsurface has been removed, (4) forming identification characters in thesurface of the plate.

6. A method of making metal identification plates which includes thesteps of (1) oxidizing a metalplate at a relatively high temperature,(2) removing a portion of the oxidized surface, (3) oxidizing the plateat a lower temperature whereby different porlis' lco

surface color on the design, (5) obliterating the embossing of thedesign and-embossing identifying indicia upon the plate, (6) removingthe colored surface of the identifying indicia to expose the naturalcolor of the plate, and (7) re-embossing the original design.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a

plate of the class described bearing a designtions of the surface of thetplate.

in contrasting colors thereon, the colors constituting differentlychemically treated surface portions of the plate.

of the class described bearing a design thereon, the design being formedof differently heat treated surface portions of the plate.

10. .As a new article of manufacture, a plate of the class describedbearing a design thereon, the design being formed of diffelerentlyoxidized surface portions of the 1) ate.

11. As a new article of manufacture, a plateof the class describedbearing a vdesign thereon, the design being formed of bright portionsand differently oxidized por- 12. As a new article 0 manufacture, a

plate of the class described, the surface of said plateembodying abackground, a design and identifying indicia, said background and designbeing formed of differently oxidized portions of the plate surface.

13. plate of the class described, the surface of the plate embodying abackground, a design and identifying indicia, said background and designbeing formed of differently oxidized portions of the plate surface andthe indicia being formed of a bright metal surface.

14. As a new article of manufacture, a plate of the class described, thesurface of said plate embodying a background, a de- As a new article ofmanufacture, a

sign and identifying indicia, said indicia, design and background beingof contrasting colors, at least two of which'constitute dif- 9. As a newarticle of manufacture, a plate ferently. heat treated surface portionsof the plate.

15. As a new article of manufacture, a plate of the class described, thesurface of said plate embodying identifying indicia, the surface of saidplate also embodying a background and a. design, said background anddesign being of contrasting colors and comprising diflerently heattreatedsurface'portionsof the plate.

16. As a new article ofmanufacture, a plate of the class described, thesurface of said plate embodying identifying indicia, the surface of saidplate also embodying a background and a design, said background anddesign being of contrasting colors and comprising differently heattreated surface portions of the plate, the surface of said backgroundand t e design being disposed in different planes.

17. As a new article of manufacture, a plate of the class described, thesurface of said plate embodying identifyingindicia, the surface of saidplate also embodying a background and a design, said background and.design being of contrasting colors and comprising differently heattreated-portions of the plate surface, said design being embossed uponthe plate.

WILLIAM H. IVHEELER.

